Surprise!

The weather this week has been awful. The RSPB was running its annual ‘Big Garden Birdwatch’ – on particular dates you are supposed to count all the birds you see in your garden over a continuous period of one hour – we didn’t have an hour with any birds in the garden at all on those dates. They were all, very sensibly, sheltering from the ferocious wind and driving rain.

Because the weather dial, upstairs there, is set on ‘Random Selection’ at the moment, we have also had some clear sunny days during the week. We’ve done our best to synchronise our perambulations, we’re too set in our routine for them to be peregrinations, to the sunny periods and we’ve had proved to us, once again – sunny does not equal warm.

It has been hard to find something that would risk a venture out, into even the brightest day, that we could use as a picture for your edification. We’ve seen our robin – we know it’s ours, as two robins are incapable of co-existing peaceably – and a batch of chaffinches who, on the whole seem to be able to settle disputes, vocally, but without recourse to fisticuffs. They appear, grab a beak-full of seed and wing it back to the shelter of the bushes.

Then, on our walk this morning, quite suddenly, out of nowhere, this helicopter appeared. I grabbed the camera, wrenched the lens cap off, and pointed in the general direction (which was up, as it flew low, right over our heads) and pressed the button.

6 replies on “Surprise!”

That’s quite an interesting walk you had, David! I’ve heard about the awful weather you all are having right now. We just got nine inches of snow. But there are a few robins about. Just a little over a month until spring, thank goodness!

Hi Miranda
No snow at all here and the flooding has so far managed to avoid us – but we have had 100 mph winds, driving rain and hail in front of them.
Days like that you tend to stay indoors except for a quick dash to a sheltered corner round the back of the house – for The Dog to have a comfort break. – We’re holding on for spring here too.

Fantastic shot of the helicopter. That’s you and me both have avoided major floods this time round 9 we got them in 2007). However did get some wind in Sheffield, but not 100mph, i was on my way home from work and the car thought it was in a disco and start rocking about in stationary traffic. Soon after that when i got home, it really blew a gale.

Hi Ange
The trees at the back of the house were thrashing around and making such a roaring noise we couldn’t sleep – quite scary – when the wind calmed down I had to go up and down the road – trying to find where our wheelie-bins had blown to.